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The Banda Wharf Community located off the Main Motor Tinta fur Road Lungi, situated along the banks of the Atlantic Ocean, has called on the government to intervene in their deplorable situation.
In an interview with the community youth leader Alhaji Sankoh, who said that he is a grandson to the late sub-chief Arun Rashid Kamara alias Pa Komrabai founder of the said community 27 years ago who migrated from Tinta fur.
He went on to say that the said community was a joint discovery from two major towns in Lungi namely Tinta fur and Kambia. That although jointly founded, the wharf is mainly occupied by the Kambian settlers. The wharf which is noted for its beautiful beach view, is also a platform used by over crafts for landing of aircrafts and also hosting SALWACO a Water Works Company responsible for the supply of water both to the airport and other areas. It is also a major center for fishing in the Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom.
Things went on very well until the sand collectors started their rampage at the beach.
He highlighted the fact that out of the sand collection revenue collected per day amounts to between eight hundred thousand Leones (Le 800,000) and One Million Leones (Le 1,000,000). At the end of the month the said revenue is divided between the Paramount Chief P.C Bai Shebora Sheba Gbareh the third through his representative called A.D and the Councillor Rajico through his representative Abdul Rahman. A misely amount of two hundred thousand Leones (Le 200,000), being payment towards the land owners which is collected by the Tintafur headman Pa Komrabai Kamara residing at Shillon Street and Pa Koleh Kamara residing at main Motor Road, Tintafur respectively.
These monies he said have no specific purpose towards development and the people have no knowledge how it is dishursed.
Due to the constant collection of sand in the area between the land and the sea has been shortened. This forms erosion and also results to flooding whenever the sea is full.
The overflow extends to the houses and enters them. As a result of this the over craft platform has been broken leaving them with no option but to dissuade the landing of aircrafts as the platform is not in good shape.
One Mr. Tom Nyama who is also working on projects in the area is affected. According to him 25 Kilometres of his land has been eaten up by the sea because of the collection of sand. Fishing activities have been discouraged due to a misey portion of space to be used for mending of fishing nets and boats.
Investor are discouraged because of clouding Hotel construction halted which should have been completed and created as a base for employment facilities. With all these constraints, the community is calling on the government to impose a blanket ban on sand collection from the area and other settlement areas like Mahera, Kamem and so on. That government should relocate sand collection to a suggested area namely the cotton tree situated at Sumbuya village along the Airport Ferry Road Lungi which according to them does not host any community settlement or beach activities.
They want the government to set up a committee to investigate/audit the precious monies collected during the past years.
They are advising the government not to oversight this issue but to secbre the beach as this will encourage investors who will want to use the land for development.
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